New details have emerged on not one but two new J.R.R. Tolkien biopics currently in the works. After the success of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT films, it seems the author’s story is a hot commodity!
The film that will likely debut first is the indie film TOLKIEN & LEWIS, which tells the tale of J.R.R. Tolkien’s bittersweet friendship with fellow legendary author C.S. Lewis and features some pretty heavy religious undertones. C.S. Lewis was an atheist before Tolkien helped convert him, only to have Tolkien feel quite the backlash once Lewis gained success as a Christian author:
“Lewis becoming the poster boy for Christianity upset Tolkien,” explained Wernher Pramschufer of TOLKIEN & LEWIS producer Attractive Films. “And obsessive genius Tolkien is blocked, terrified of finishing The Fellowship of the Ring, for fear of the strange, psychotic visions which torture him.”
The film will be directed by Simon West (THE EXPENDABLES 2).
The latter film, which will present the author’s life in a much more neutral light, is TOLKIEN. The script, which is currently being written by David Gleeson, focuses on how Tolkien’s real world experiences during World War I and his time as a professor at Pembroke College shaped his fantasy worlds and the characters featured in his novels. No director has been signed onto the project yet.